The chief events in the Washington Conference since we wrote
last week have been the statement issued by Japan and the speeches by M. Briand and Mr. Balfour. The Japanese state- ment demands that there shall be no international intervention in China, and no retrospective arguments in the shaping of policy. Japan thinks that her repudiation of all desire to occupy territory in China should be enough to satisfy everybody. On the naval question she comes into collision with the American proposal. The Japanese arguo that there has been discrimination against them in asking that the ' Raga,' which was about to be launched, should be scrapped while America retains the ' Maryland.' America is, however, as a matter of fact, scrapping her latest ship. Britain is doing the same thing. The essence of the Japanese demand is the desire to alter the ratio of the naval strength from the proposed five-five-three and raise the Jaranese per- centage in capital ships from 60 to 70.
